City Approves Inner Harbor Ice Skating Rink

You won't have to go very far to ice skate anymore. An ice skating rink might be coming back to Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

The city Board of Estimates on Wednesday granted a five-year licensing agreement to the Waterfront Partnership to install an ice skating rink during the winter months.

The rink would be at McKeldin Square between Light and Pratt Streets, right by the Visitor's Bureau. Officials released a rendering of what it might look like Wednesday.

"We’ve wanted to bring an outdoor ice rink back to the harbor for years," said Laurie Schwartz, the president of Waterfront Partnership. "I think an ice skating rink at McKeldin Square will be a big draw for local families as well as visitors and will add a lot to the Inner Harbor during the holiday season."

The Waterfront Partnership, dedicated to creating a more attractive environment, great public parks and events for the public to enjoy at and around the Inner Harbor, said the rink is part of its "It's a Waterfront Life" campaign.

The "It’s a Waterfront Life" campaign was launched in 2011 in an effort to attract Marylanders to the waterfront during the holiday season with special events, attractions, cheap parking, dining and shopping specials. Last holiday season, the campaign led them to explore the idea. Group members went to several cities to learn what worked well.

A rink used to be in place at Rash Field in the Inner Harbor from 1989-1991. It was reopened in 1993 and eventually closed again for good in 2005, according to The Baltimore Sun.

Waterfront Partnership chose the country's largest outdoor rink operator, Rink Management Services Inc., to manage the rink. They're in the process of getting funding for the project through sponsorships.

Officials said any future redevelopment of McKeldin Square won't affect the ice rink.